Sling TV Adds AMC And Sports Options As It Goes Live

Dish Network’s widely anticipated $20 a month streaming service made a few changes to its line-up today as it officially becomes available to consumers nationwide. It added AMC — home of Walking Dead and the new Breaking Bad spin-off Better Call Saul — to the core package of channels, and vows to announce plans later for the parent company’s portfolio which includes BBC America, BBC World News, IFC, SundanceTV and WeTV. The basic deal also now includes WatchESPN streaming, with Maker Studios’ Polaris+ — which features long-form originals — “coming soon.”

“There has been a remarkable expression of consumer interest since we first announced Sling TV one month ago,” Sling TV CEO Roger Lynch says. “We believe Sling TV is a game changing service that enhances the existing television landscape.”

Sling execs say that they are targeting Millennials who don’t subscribe to the full, and far more expensive, pay TV bundle. But many analysts are watching carefully to see whether it also prompts current subscribers to cut the cord with cable or satellite to take the less costly Internet alternative. It operates with iOS, Android, Mac, and PC devices, plus current generation Roku devices. The company says it will support Amazon Fire TV, Goodle’s Nexus Player, webOS Smart TVs, some Samsung TVs, and Xbox One “in the coming months.”